As communication technology evolves, new applications are emerging for wireless electronic communication. For example, wireless communication has gone beyond simple cellular-based voice communication and is now being employed for a variety of data-related applications. Mobile communication devices (e.g., smart phones), mobile computing devices (e.g., tablet computers), etc. may employ long-range wireless mediums in support of a variety of applications. However, in some instances wireless interaction may occur via a short-range wireless medium (e.g., within a range of about 65 feet) or a close-proximity wireless medium (e.g., within a range of about a couple of inches). Short-range and close-proximity wireless mediums such as wireless local area networking (WLAN), Bluetooth, radio frequency (RF) such as based on RF Identification (RFID) or Near Field Communication (NFC) standards, infrared (IR), etc. may have some advantages over long-range wireless communication in that they are adequate for short-range or close-proximity interaction while being unregulated, and thus free to user without a license. As a result, the use of short-range and close-proximity wireless communication is expanding in many currently available wireless-enabled devices.
At least one issue with the use of some short-range wireless communication mediums is the need for an intervening access point (AP). For example, WLAN or “Wi-Fi” operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 wireless standard is designed to employ an AP to control wireless traffic. An AP is not required in Bluetooth networks, which was initially designed as a wireless replacement for wired peripheral connections. The desire for device-to-device (D2D) wireless connectivity, such as provided by Bluetooth, with the stability, throughput, security, equipment availability, etc. of Wi-Fi has yielded “Wi-Fi Direct” or “Wi-Fi Person-to-Person (P2P).” Wi-Fi Direct allows Wi-Fi-enabled devices to interact directly without the need for specialized equipment (e.g., a Bluetooth transceiver). While beneficial on its face, in practice the establishment of Wi-Fi direct connections may suffer from delays due to the formalities of Wi-Fi operation. In particular, Wi-Fi Direct connections may take a long time to establish, which may negatively impact the quality of service (QoS) experienced by users.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.